A new state park planned for more than 500 acres along the Hudson River in Ulster County will be named after African American abolitionist and suffragist Sojourner Truth, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday.
A former cement production plant located mostly in the city of Kingston but also in the town of Ulster will serve as home for the first state park in the city and the first new state park to open since July 2019, the governor's office said in a statement.
The park will be named after Sojourner Truth, who was born Isabella "Bomefree" Baumfree, a slave in Ulster County in 1797, Hochul noted.
State Parks partnered with Scenic Hudson to obtain the property for $13.5 million, which was funded through the state Environmental Protection Fund. It will partner with the nonprofit to operate it.
Limited parking and hiking trails for passive recreation will be available this spring. The property already includes the Hudson River Brickyard Trail, which is open to the public.
State Parks, Scenic Hudson and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission will solicit public input on how Sojourner Truth State Park will be developed.
"Scenic Hudson is delighted that Governor Hochul has chosen to celebrate the life and legacy of Sojourner Truth by naming this park after her," Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan said. "Through her courage and forceful voice for justice and equality for all, she set an example that still resonates strongly in this vitally important ongoing cause."